If you're struggling to cope with the stress of shelter work, here are some ways to make sure your job doesn't take over your life.

By Scott Kirkwood

©Tim Sloan

You watch officers rescue a neglected dog so thin that he can barely walk. You stand by as a couple surrenders a cat they've had for only a week. You euthanize a dog who licks your face as you make the injection. You work with limited resources to fight a battle that seems endless, sometimes struggling with the coworkers at your side. You walk through kennels filled with the sounds of barking dogs, and clean cat cages that rarely stay empty for long. On top of it all, you're often unfairly judged by members of the public who fail to understand your work.

Stressed out? Who wouldn't be?

It's no surprise to shelter workers that their stress levels far exceed those of most other professionals. A 1996 study by Debra White and Ruth Shawhan entitled "Emotional responses of animal shelter workers to euthanasia," published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, featured excerpts from essays that reveal the thoughts of shelter workers in startling detail: "To make a decision to end a life is the hardest decision I have ever made," wrote one shelter worker. "Much of my anger, guilt, frustration, and outright sadness is connected to my work and my passion for wanting to save the animals I kill," wrote another. Some employees bottle up their emotions or become numb: "I have no feelings about euthanasia. It doesn't bother me. I've been at it too long." Another wrote of euthanasia: "I sometimes pretend it never happened." Regardless of how people cope with or compartmentalize these emotions, the stress inherent in animal care and control work often leads to insomnia, nightmares, feelings of detachment, irritability, even an inability to enjoy activities that once brought pleasure.

But it's not only euthanasia. In some cases the death of a healthy, unwanted animal is only a small part of the ongoing struggle. One worker quoted in White and Shawhan's study said that euthanizing an animal was often less traumatic than speaking to the person who surrendered the animal. Indeed, shelter workers' interactions with the public and constant exposure to trauma is comparable to the ordeals facing police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, suicide hotline attendants, rape counselors, and hospice workers. And like these professionals devoted to helping others, shelter workers are at increased risk for a special type of stress called "compassion fatigue." A despair brought on by the weight of caring for and about trauma victims, compassion fatigue is far more crippling than the pressures encountered by professionals in the typical workplace. But animal shelter workers have one more complicating factor to deal with: They must help the victims of injustices while also offering assistance to the perpetrators of those injustices. And while child-protection advocates may also be able to claim this dual role, only animal shelter workers are given the task of ending the lives of those in their care.

In fact, the stress felt by shelter workers is increasingly being compared to the effects of "post-traumatic stress disorder," an affliction often mentioned in reference to the experience of Vietnam veterans. The sights, sounds, and smells of traumatic events repeatedly find their way into a person's mind, and although specific memories are often repressed, their effects remain powerful. "Most people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are victims of war, natural disasters, or other tragedies such as airline crashes or automobile crashes," says Teresa Wagner, MS, a private therapist and shelter volunteer. "Not to discount those experiences, but even war does end; people don't sign up for twenty years of active duty. It's very different in an animal shelter, where animals are surrendered as long as you work there."

What's more, shelter workers are often left to struggle alone. Unlike social-service workers and others in the "helping" professions, shelter workers may introduce themselves to people only to be greeted with a callous response: "Oh, you kill animals. I love animals so much... I could never do what you do." People forget about the adoptions, the humane education, the lost animals returned home, even the public benefits of a well-run animal control program. Instead, they tend to focus on the one aspect of the work that is the most misunderstood.

"It's one thing to do something difficult and get recognized for it; it's yet another thing to not be recognized and to be accused of having questionable motivations, to be called a killer," says Jane Louise William, PhD, a psychotherapist who has spent time in shelters and conducted stress-management workshops for shelter workers. "It's so difficult to separate yourself from that distorted and toxic view of who you are and what you do, to remember it's just a product of ignorance and society's [tendency to disown] responsibility for companion animals." Family and close friends of shelter workers often have a hard time understanding the culture and the stress inherent in the work, a fact that leaves victims even more isolated.

Evidence shows that the intense stress felt by shelter workers leads to health problems, depression, destructive behaviors, and even addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Staff and volunteers who suffer the effects of stress are often not as productive as they would like to be, a fact that aggravates the situation even further. And, of course, on-the-job stress is a key component in the high turnover rates in many shelters, forcing managers to constantly hire new employees, requiring established employees to spend more time training coworkers, and generally lowering the expertise of the entire staff. Most importantly, and most often forgotten, is the fact that many people who work in animal shelters devote their lives to helping animals, leaving them with no lives of their own.

© Fred Field, The Patriot Ledger The act of seizing animals from collectors is one of the more stressful events shelter workers encounter.

Some Steps in the Right Direction

Fortunately, many shelter workers have learned to cope with the stress, find balance in their lives, and leave their work behind at the end of the day. There are no quick fixes, of course. If there were a few simple steps you could take to dissolve the stress of working at a shelter, the list would be posted in the break room of shelters everywhere, right above the coffee machine. You'll find some steps that follow are so universal they apply to workers in any field. But the more refined suggestions below have been gathered from professionals with a thorough understanding of animal protection and the lives of those who choose it as a career. If you invest the time to pursue some of the suggestions below, you may find a way to continue your work without losing yourself in the process.

1. Take a good look at yourself.

Many of us think of stress as one huge problem that gradually creeps up and climbs onto our shoulders at the end of the day, but more often it's the weight of a hundred little incidents that cling to us. Until we identify the source, there's not much chance of removing the effects.

In his book, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, author Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, notes, "It is not the potential stressor itself, but how you perceive it and then how you handle it that will determine whether or not it leads to stress." That's not to say that dealing with the public and handling fractious animals are not inherently difficult events, only that stress is less a product of the events themselves and more a product of our reactions to those events. Think about the more trivial matters that lead to stress: We all encounter the occasional inconsiderate bank teller, rude waitress, unruly child, traffic snarl, financial setback, and personal crisis, and we all respond differently. As Kabat-Zinn notes, the first step toward lowering stress is determining what experiences cause us to feel its effects most profoundly. Try spending a few evenings looking back at the day's events. Some people have great difficulty dealing with the public, others are most disturbed by the enormity of pet overpopulation. Identifying these factors is the first step toward learning to cope with them.

"How many of us know people who have been married not just once or twice but several times, people who have had a whole series of monogamous relationships without ever learning or analyzing what happened?" asks Wagner. "Whether it's work or a relationship, we need to take time to ask, 'What did I learn from this event and what do I have to change so that I'm not constantly coping with the stress and dealing with it afterwards?'" Only when we see the aspects of our work that most affect us can we take the next step, which is to examine how our reactions help or hinder the way we function.

"There is no one-two-three approach to stress management that will work for everybody," says Wagner. "Our personalities make a big difference: An extroverted, emotional individual may experience a real need to express frustration, whether that means speaking to someone in a lunchroom or somewhere else. But someone who's introverted may prefer to think about an event and write it all down in a journal."

This emphasis on introspection may sound a bit too "warm and fuzzy" for some, but the only alternative to an individual approach to stress management is the universal approach, which offers up a handful of simple activities intended to eliminate stress for everyone, such as going for a walk or talking to a friend. These activities are effective for some, but clearly don't work for everyone. Perhaps you're motivated by difficult problems and enjoy throwing yourself into the work; walking away from a crisis might only cause you more anxiety. Perhaps you're introverted and prefer thinking about challenges individually before discussing them with others. Perhaps your friends don't understand the work you do, and attempts to explain your feelings would only multiply your frustrations. Following a list of "stress-reducing activities" is a simple way to approach stress management, but it's rarely an effective way. And that means that what you learn from a seminar or an article such as this isn't nearly as important as how you use the information to explore making personal changes.

The experiences of Sally Fekety, director of Animal Sheltering Issues for The HSUS, reveal the importance of self-examination. Some years ago, an affectionate black Labrador retriever was brought to the shelter where she'd been working. The severely malnourished dog was suffering from a badly ingrown collar and injuries from numerous beatings. After caring for the dog for three months, Fekety felt both joy and sadness when the dog was finally adopted. A few months later, however, the dog was brought in by a cruelty investigator, the victim of an adoption gone wrong. He was in terrible shape, weak with hunger; the only alternative was euthanasia. "It was horrible," says Fekety. "Here we'd given him another chance and the world had betrayed him again. I knew the only way I would be able to cope would be to perform the euthanasia myself. Some of my coworkers insisted it was a mistake, but I knew that it was what I needed. And being there at that moment to end his pain helped me to deal with my pain. But it might not have been the right thing for someone else. You just need to figure out what's right for you, then fight for it."

© Peter Casella From difficult encounters with the public to life-and-death decisions about animals, the stressful events encountered in shelters often lead to serious staff communication problems. That's why open, honest discussions among employees are crucial.

2. Take a look at those around you.

While assessing your own needs is critical, it's equally important to consider the needs of those around you, and to ask others to consider your needs as well. After all, if you can't rely on those at your side to support you in the work you do, who can you rely on? According to Wagner, shelter workers can and should let fellow workers know what helps them cope with stress. In that way, everyone can make some small but meaningful compromises for one another.

"Let's say somebody who is not terribly religious is going to be working with someone who is very religious, and even likes to say a prayer for every animal euthanized," says Wagner. "If it's okay with the nonreligious person, accepting whatever works for the other person can be a really beautiful thing. At the same time, the nonreligious person might say, 'I respect your values and I understand that prayer really helps you, and I want you to be helped, but it would be easier on me if you didn't pray out loud.... Could you do it silently?'"

It's obvious that humor is one of the best ways to reduce stress, and equally obvious that black humor is inappropriate in front of the public and most volunteers. But even among workers who euthanize animals regularly, boundaries may differ. "When a new worker enters the 'circle of euthanasia,'" says Wagner, "the supervisor or lead tech should take that person under a wing and say, 'Look, sometimes gallows humor is used around here to cope.... How do you feel about that? What kinds of things might offend you? If you don't know right now, let us know later, and we can talk about it.'" Of course, this is not to suggest that shelter workers will completely refrain from black humor, only that people should consider each other's boundaries and broach these subjects carefully.

Many shelter workers might balk at the idea of spending so much time on staff communications when communication with the public seems to bring about the most tangible frustration. But it's important to look at the people on the same side of the counter first. "The higher the stress level in the workplace, the more opportunity there is for misunderstanding," says Wagner. "When people are in trauma, in crisis, emotions run high; people who are not especially sensitive are going to be more sensitive. People need to take care of themselves, but they also need to respect the needs and boundaries of the people they work with."

And whether you're outgoing or introspective, just sharing your thoughts with those around you can often help. The stress that comes from working at a shelter can be so extreme that it simply cannot be dealt with alone. Many people find that casual conversations with coworkers are the best way to heal the emotional wounds that accompany the job.

3. Actively pursue change.

One of the most damaging results of workplace stress is a feeling of helplessness. In the face of animal abuse and pet owner indifference, one can quickly become resigned to the notion that change is impossible. But many people cope with their own stress by looking for ways to improve their circumstances, including potential problems within the shelter environment itself. If changing the way work is done might lower the amount of stress you feel, discuss the possibility with your manager and those around you. It might be something as simple as altering the cleaning routine every morning or something as far-reaching as changing intake procedures.

© Kerry Muzzey Sometimes a moment alone or a few minutes with a shelter resident are all it takes for shelter workers to calm down and remember why they first became interested in animal protection.

"After you've made decisions about operating hours and adoption policies, you need some time to talk about issues that are affecting you personally," says Jan Elster, a consultant who's spent 15 years helping shelter workers hone their customer-service skills. "Staff meetings focus so much on content, or what you're going to do, and not enough on process or how you do things. Take fifteen minutes to discuss activities in a certain department or to discuss recurring problems." By discussing significant issues in an open, constructive forum, you'll minimize people's need to gather privately and simply complain to one another, a process that only contaminates the workplace.

4. Take a "time-out."

When work frustrations bring you to the boiling point, step away for ten or fifteen minutes to compose yourself in private, away from the public and coworkers. "People need a place where they can take a time-out, [such as] when they want to strangle the woman who just brought in a beautiful, healthy golden retriever because her husband left, or after receiving twenty-two kittens," says Wagner. Many shelters allow employees to retreat to a lunchroom for a few minutes. But if you can be completely alone in a private meeting room, that's even better. Of course, managers need to support this idea (see Manager's Notebook) and put it into practice, whether that involves bringing on extra staff or simply cross-training employees so that customer service remains seamless. By simply providing people with an exit, managers can lower the stress that comes from feeling trapped in a difficult situation.

Just knowing there's an escape often makes people less likely to need that escape, says Elster, who witnessed that fact firsthand while working with a group of pediatric nurses on an intensive-care ward. "I watched as the nurses developed a completely different approach from the one they had previously used," says Elster. "[They set aside a room as] a sanctuary where they could go to cry, just to say, 'I don't know if I can do this again tomorrow,' and that is what allowed them to get up and do it again tomorrow—having a forum, a place where they realized they weren't alone."

© Jodi Frediani

5. Know that you can't do it all.

A quick look at shelter relinquishment statistics over the past decade shows that shelters have made headway in the war on companion animal overpopulation, but that collective success is often overshadowed by the day to day work in a shelter. The feeling of being overwhelmed can soon lead to apathy or complacency, or it can lead to the opposite extreme: overworking. "In a setting like an animal shelter there are often expectations to overwork," says William. "You need to know your limitations and be willing to accept them. If you're being pushed beyond your limitations, then you have to ask yourself, 'How does this feel?' Some people feel good being pushed past their limits; some people feel totally overwhelmed. But part of the secret in dealing with stress is not letting it go too far, knowing you're not a failure. Think, 'I'm not sick; this is me, this is my temperament, this is my nature.'"

One of the first steps for many people is simply acknowledging that shelter work goes far beyond the range of typical human experience. If stress is considered "a normal reaction to abnormal events," shelter workers can expect their reactions to be among the most difficult. "How do you love an animal, pray that you're going to find him a home, and become attached to the animal, when you may have to euthanize him?" asks William. "There's something deep down inside us that says, 'This isn't okay. This is not supposed to happen.'" William concedes that some people may not find much solace in the fact that this work often leads people to the edge, but she insists that many people are relieved to know that their difficulty coping is normal. As soon as people eliminate the layer of stress that comes from thinking they're abnormal, they can relieve some of the pressure that comes from working so hard in the face of overwhelming odds.

6. Look at your accomplishments.

Because soldiers in the battle for animal protection often feel they're losing the war, many fail to see the hundreds of little battles won every day. Shelter workers who can "accentuate the positive" seem to cope better than those who focus on the negative. It's a simple idea that can be a powerful tool. According to Steve Fox, former director of human resources for the Peninsula Humane Society in California, people often think that the only way to make a difference is to work an inordinate number of hours. "Someone who works sixty, seventy, eighty hours a week might not be accomplishing anything," says Fox. "People really need to focus on their accomplishments rather than the hours they're putting in." As Fox says, the factors that lead to stress aren't nearly as overwhelming if you feel good about your job and your contribution to the organization.

© Jodi Frediani

How do you find the positive? It can be as simple as taking a few moments to think about a successful adoption, a helpful suggestion you offered a caller, or a lost dog returned home. Some shelters help by creating a bulletin board of adopted animals or "graduates" to remind workers of the enduring value of these matches, which are so quickly forgotten when workers hurry to address the next emergency.

For more information on the benefits and responsibilities that come with shelter mascots, see the July-August 1997 issue of ASM.
In a study by Arnold Arluke, PhD, entitled, "Coping with euthanasia: A case study of shelter culture," the author notes that many workers find solace in a shelter "mascot" who provides comfort in an environment where most animals—even those adopted—stay for only a very short time.

One shelter worker suggests sitting in on a pet-loss support group session, if possible, not only to share the meaningful discussions of the loss of an animal, but also to remind yourself that there are people in the world who truly love and care for their pets as much as you do.

7. Hone your customer-service skills.

One of the greatest sources of frustration for many shelter workers is dealing with the public. But by improving your own customer-service skills, you'll not only improve results for those who call or visit your shelter, you'll also be better able to deal with people—even hostile individuals—without getting too frustrated.

See the January-February 1999 issue of ASM for a feature article on "social marketing"—a powerful tool that can be used to please customers and accomplish your goals. Look through the November-December 1996 issue of ASM for a feature article on improving customer service.
 
Elster shares a technique called "verbal aikido," which encourages workers to deflect the energy of the customer rather than fight against it, to diffuse the conflict and lower the personal price that might come from confrontation. "Many people who work in shelters are care givers," says Elster, "so they may not defend themselves very well. Whether they were taught to behave that way, or they simply care about animals so much that they get lost during confrontations, they may go to one of two extremes: either total compassion and tolerance for a person's actions—acting passive or sympathetic—or the complete opposite," meaning a belligerent attitude in the face of any challenge. The key, of course, is to stay in the middle, to listen closely to the speaker, offer understanding and potential solutions, and move on, even if the person on the other side of the counter refuses to cooperate.

© Peter Casella By honing your customer-service skills, you may be better prepared to help people, and better able to cope with the stress of the work at hand.

"Some people do things simply to get your goat," says Elster. "They want to upset you and throw you off balance, and the minute you go there, they've got you. Then they can walk away feeling okay, and you take [that frustration] with you." But if shelter workers can remain calm and think one step ahead of the customer, they may be able to manipulate the situation to their advantage. How do you cope with a pet owner who refuses to pay for a license, insisting he is not liable for a $50 fine for allowing his dog to run at large? Some would immediately tense up and cite the code violation verbatim. Elster suggests a different tack: "I might say, 'I can see that this is really important, so let's move down to the other end of the counter where I can hear you a little better.' Doing that physically moves the person, which throws him off a little and allows you to stay in control." At the same time, it illustrates your concern for the person's frustration and shows your willingness to solve the problem.

Plenty of other skills can keep you centered while helping you meet customers' needs: Give a person a choice, or even an illusion of choice. ("Would you like to fill out this form now or take it home and mail it in?" "Would you like to discuss this issue now or have a cup of coffee first?") Set reasonable expectations for each individual you encounter, instead of trying to mold every person into the ideal pet owner. Recognize the fact that as soon as people enter your shelter with a problem, they may already be suffering from guilt or lowered self-esteem, so you'll need to say and do everything you can to make them feel comfortable and encourage their compliance.

Lastly, if you find that customers raise certain legitimate frustrations again and again, listen closely to their comments and speak with a supervisor about finding a way to meet their needs.

8. Do all you can to lower the stress of euthanasia.

Euthanizing animals is an inherently stressful event, and there is nothing in a magazine article or workshop that can change that fact. But you can find ways to heal the pain that comes from euthanizing animals, and, equally important, you can look for ways to make the event less stressful on you and the animals in your care.

© Laraine Pelaez The proper training and the proper environment can make all the difference in your ability to euthanize animals humanely, and that often lowers the amount of stress that accompanies the event.

First off, make sure that the method of euthanasia you're using is the most humane available, given your shelter's resources. If your shelter isn't already using sodium pentobarbital, look into making that change. Also make sure you've received the most up-to-date training available for the method of euthanasia you practice. It's stressful enough just knowing that you're guiding a healthy animal to his death; the thought that an animal might experience any unnecessary pain or discomfort will only compound your anxiety.

Think, too, about the many smaller factors that will make the event easier on you and the animal in your care: Make sure the room being used for euthanasia is quiet and set apart from the busier areas in the shelter. If you prefer working with a certain person, if you prefer holding an animal versus making the injection, or if you prefer euthanizing animals at a certain time, work with your supervisor to meet these needs. According to Arluke's study, many shelter workers felt more control by just being involved in deciding which animals are euthanized. Euthanasia will never be a simple task, but attending to these details may make it one that you can tolerate a little better.

9. Find balance in your life.

Although everyone's been told how important it is to have interests outside of work, many people have a difficult time going home every evening without dwelling on one or two more things they could have done that day to improve the lives of animals.

But doing something different can make all the difference. "If you don't have balance, you can't focus on your work," says Elster. "And that's going to start taking its toll." In her workshops, Elster profiles a handful of fictional shelter workers whose lives have become dominated by the responsibilities of work and home. Participants are quick to point out how these individuals might change their circumstances by exercising more, spending less time watching television and more time with friends, or asking roommates to do some of the work around the house. It's easy for most of us to see the imbalances in others and offer suggestions, but many of us have difficulty seeing imbalance in our own lives, let alone working toward a solution.

© Cris M. Kelly Many shelter workers find that spending more time with their own companion animals increases their energy.

According to Elster, balance means remembering why you work, where "home" is, meeting your family's needs (including the needs of your own pets), and knowing what you enjoy. The needs of work and home can be overwhelming at times, leading one to view leisure as a luxury. "But without leisure time, it's impossible to see work or home life in true perspective," says Elster.

Are you working more and more hours at the shelter? Are you spending less time with the people you care about? Is the bicycle in your garage gathering rust? Are your pets a little slower to recognize you when you come home at the end of the day? It's easy to get out of balance working in a shelter. After all, even those who work in the for-profit sector have a hard time balancing work with pleasure, and their primary concerns are usually career advancement and the company's bottom line. Meanwhile, you're concerned with the fate of the hundreds or even thousands of animals who enter your facility every year. But people whose lives become wrapped up in the work they do rarely make the best workers and rarely garner enjoyment from that work. Moreover, an excessive work schedule motivated by guilt rather than desire usually ends in burnout, leaving you of little use to the cause.

Pursue activities that you enjoy, but watch out for empty activities such as endless hours staring at a television screen and excessive eating and drinking. And if your schedule doesn't allow for as much leisure time as you might hope, think about alternative ways to approach problems: Spend time on your lunch hour getting out of the shelter and running errands, for instance, rather than completing paperwork that can wait a while. In her workshops, Elster often quotes author Christiane Northrup who says, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgent, it's self-preservation."

10. Condition your body to cope with stress.

Though people tend to see stress as something that affects only the mind, it's something that affects the body as well. People suffering the ill effects of stress are more likely to contract illnesses and suffer from increased blood pressure, backaches, headaches, fatigue, and so on. But this mind-body connection also allows you to prepare your body for stress and, in fact, counter the effects of stress by exercising, eating a healthy diet, and getting at least seven or eight hours of sleep every night.

Going for a brisk walk every few weeks and eating more vegetables certainly won't change the realities of shelter life. But taking care of your body is important. We all know we need to take care of ourselves, but when we get too busy, we forget the simple things: Breakfast turns into a few sips of coffee. Lunch turns into a bag of potato chips. A cigarette takes the place of exercise. It's true that one cigarette or one cup of coffee won't make an incredible difference in the way you cope with stress, but weeks and months of the same bad habits add up over time, making it more difficult for your body to deal with the cards it's dealt. People who exercise regularly have a higher sense of self-esteem and lower rates of depression. Those who drown their problems in alcohol and other addictive drugs may be robbing themselves of the rich, full life they deserve in return for their work for animals.

© Torsten Kjellstrand, Spokesman-Review

11. Talk to a professional.

If you're having a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning or leaving the shelter in the evening, if you feel trapped in your workplace and have trouble enjoying the simple things in life, if you're losing touch with family and friends, or if you're just unhappy and see no way to change your life, it may be time to talk to a professional therapist.

Consultation with a professional counselor helps many people find balance in their lives, but many shelter workers find the process frustrating because few therapists truly understand the demands placed on shelter workers. Even those who come to understand the work may be so awed by the enormity of the problem that they're short on solutions.

But a few shelters have found some success with therapists, whether they're private counselors or employee assistance professionals (counselors who are often affiliated with government agencies and who help workers deal with job-related issues). If you're looking for help, enlist the aid of a supervisor to find an individual who understands the human-animal bond and post-traumatic stress disorder. The person you select will need to be introduced to the shelter culture and invited to spend time in the shelter lobby, listen to phone calls, and witness euthanasia, but the investment of time should pay off. (For more on the crucial role managers must play to help, see Manager's Notebook.)

Alternatively, a shelter can invite a trained counselor to facilitate a group discussion among the staff. The aim is not only to vent frustrations, but to share thoughts, gather constructive solutions to problems, and bond as a group. In this meeting, the therapist need only act as a moderator, making sure everyone gets a chance to speak, discouraging judgmental statements, and offering help to anyone in the group who may need an individual consultation.

Whether the counselor works closely with individuals or merely facilitates larger discussions, results aren't likely to come overnight. But the more time you invest in a counselor, and the more time a counselor can invest in learning about the shelter culture, the more likely success will be for all parties involved.